


Can't Reach

by pandagravy



Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Drama, Near Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 22:25:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5557859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandagravy/pseuds/pandagravy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chase was only five years old when Mr. Davenport, his father, fell into a coma after an accident. Even ten years later he remembers every detail of the day an intimidating man appeared in the lab and told them he was their real father. After all, it was the day their lives started on a trajectory of destruction and terror, turning them into bionic monsters. Now there's no escape. Unless by some miracle, Mr. Davenport would come back to save them. But even if it were possible for him to wake from a ten-year coma, could even he dethrone his brother? Chase doesn't see a way out, so the best option is to just keep on doing what he's told, even if it's slowly killing him and his siblings...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Can't Reach

Three big screens at the back of the lab shone with a cartoony rendition of the weather and time of day. It showed the rough location of the sun in the sky, minimal clouds, the ocean with tiny animated dolphins jumping, and on the middle screen was a square, white mansion. Chase wasn’t even sure if that’s what their home actually looked like. It was just the animated version Mr. Davenport had created for them so they knew what time it was and what the weather was like outside.

Chase felt a tightness in his chest he couldn’t identify. All he knew was it hurt when he thought about Mr. Davenport. He pushed on the console to turn his spinny chair toward the double doors into the lab, almost expecting them to slide open and for Mr. Davenport to stroll on in and catch the three of them in his arms and apologize and explain he’d been… stuck. Somewhere. But that he was okay and he’d never leave them again.

The spinny chair continued to turn slowly and the doors didn’t open. Bree was sitting at Mr. Davenport’s work desk with a coloring book and crayons, looking utterly bored out of her mind with her head leaning on her hand, elbow on the desk’s edge. Adam sat on the floor in the middle of the room, throwing a ball repeatedly at the wall and catching it as it came back to him. Besides the constant, rhythmic thump-thump-thump from Adam’s rubber ball and slight humming from the consoles and screens, the lab was quiet.

Unfortunately, that was short lived. “You bionic babies are soooo boring,” an obnoxious voice split the air, making Chase cringe as his chair completed its revolution, putting him back around to face the screens again, but the animated mansion and dolphins were gone, replaced with a giant doodled E with a face. “Hey, I know! Let’s play a game,” Eddy suggested mischievously.

“Your version of a game is shutting all the lights off and firing lasers at us,” Bree rebutted, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, or making all those siren and whistle noises and making my senses go all crazy,” Chase added, covering his ears just in case Eddy got any ideas. More than once had Chase ended up crippled with pain from all the noise Eddy would make, all to mess with his bionic super hearing.

“Ugh, you guys are no fun,” Eddy whined. “I miss Donnie.”

Adam’s toy thumped against the wall and then hit the ground and rolled away. Chase glanced back at his brother to see him staring at the wall, a lost expression on his face. Bree had dropped her crayon and turned to scowl at Eddy on the screen. “We miss him, too, Eddy, you obnoxious waste of data,” Chase snapped, feeling immediately protective of his older siblings. He was only five years old, but he still felt himself flare up emotionally when something threatened Adam and Bree, even if it only threatened to upset them.

They’d watched the sun go down over the dolphin-infested cartoon ocean five times since they’d last seen Mr. Davenport. He always came down to the lab to check on them, to feed them, do a training session with them, get them washed up, show Chase his latest work, maybe read them a book… And now they’d gone five days without him. Luckily, Chase had figured out how to work the console so that their capsules still gave them food, but it did little to ease their concern.

“It’s probably you bionic brats’ fault,” Eddy snapped. “He’s finally realized what a mistake you three were and has decided to up and abandon you. I’ll never see my Donnie again!”

Chase slipped down out of the chair and stomped to Bree’s desk to grab one of her crayons, chucking it at Eddy’s face on the screen. “Eddy, stop it!” he commanded. “Mr. Davenport wouldn’t do that to us.”

But it was too late. Behind Chase, a soft, high-pitched whimper started. Chase turned just as Adam was pulling his knees up to his chest, tears already streaming down his face onto his grey sweatpants. “I’m scared!” the oldest child wailed, dropping his forehead onto his knees.

Panic welled up in Chase’s chest. He might have been the most emotionally and intellectually developed of the three of them, but he was still only five-years-old and when he saw his older brother crack and break down, all he wanted was to start sobbing with him. Instead, Chase contained the terrifying thought that Mr. Davenport may never return and hurried over to Adam on the floor. He dropped down to sit with his brother, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him in close. Adam reacted immediately, burying his face in Chase’s chest and wiping his tears and snot all over his sweatshirt.

“Look what you did, Eddy! I hope you’re happy,” Bree accused, taking a handful of the rest of her crayons and tossing them at the screen, leaving a series of colorful marks on it. Chase’s first thought was how mad Mr. Davenport was going to be. His second thought was of how Mr. Davenport might never see it and it didn’t matter.

Eddy made a disgusted sound. “Ugh, crying robot baby! This sound is hurting my hard drive,” he complained before blinking off the screen, leaving the image of the white mansion and the sun again.

Chase put his fingers into Adam’s hair as Bree wiggled out of her chair to come over and join them. “It’s okay, Adam,” she said, dropping down to her knees and pinching the front of Chase’s shirt, using it to wipe Adam’s face. “Don’t cry. He’s gonna come home soon. Do you wanna color with me? Are you hungry?” she asked before using Chase’s sweatshirt to hold Adam’s nose, saying, “Blow,” like Mr. Davenport did when he wanted them to blow their noses. Luckily, Chase was quick enough to swat Bree’s hand away before Adam could react and blow snot all over him.

“I’m not hungry, I don’t want to do anything, I want Mr. Davenport to come home,” Adam howled, hiding his face on Chase again, holding tight around his small torso.

Despite his super-strong brother apparently trying to squeeze the life out of him, Chase didn’t struggle and just leaned his cheek against Adam’s head, stroking his hair and rocking him very slightly. He even pressed a quick, light kiss to his brother’s forehead, but he didn’t know what to say. He and Bree exchanged a short look and something told him they were both thinking the same fearful thing, even though he knew Bree didn’t think on the same level that he did; Mr. Davenport wasn’t coming home. They were trapped in the lab.

Bree’s eyes seemed to water slightly, but she wiped her sleeve across her face before anything could fall, and she scooted closer, laying her head on Chase’s shoulder and looping her arm with his as she found one of Adam’s hands.

Chase’s advanced brain whirred. What could he do? With some more tinkering, he could possibly get them out of the lab. But once they were out in the world, he didn’t know what they’d do. They didn’t have anyone to go to. But the protein pellets their capsules provided them with wouldn’t last forever, not the way Adam ate.

The double doors slid open with a whoosh and at first it didn’t register to any of the kids. Then Bree gasped and sat up, scrambling to turn toward the doors. Adam was on his feet in the next second, practically dragging Chase’s small body up with him by his sweatshirt. “Mr. Davenport!” they all screamed together before Bree took off at a super dash towards the figure in the door.

Adam crashed into Bree, though, as she skidded to a halt, and Chase stumbled a few feet ahead, stopping at the feet of Mr. Davenport. At least, that’s who he’d thought it was. When he noticed the filthy jeans in front him, he followed the legs up to a leather-jacketed torso and finally to a frightening grin and wild hair. “Hey, kids, it’s been awhile,” said an unfamiliar, menacing voice.

The shock slammed into all three of them at once and they erupted in screams. In the next moment, a chair flew past Chase’s head and smashed against the wall next to the stranger. Chase threw his hands up, ready to engage his force field, but the stranger grabbed his hands to stop him, seemingly aware of his ability. He then lifted Chase’s small, light body up by his hands, causing him to struggle, trying to kick and failing wildly. “Hey, now! Come on, don’t you remember me?” the man asked, and even if Chase wasn’t already terrified just by the concept of a stranger, the atmosphere around this man was scary enough. A few frightened tears fell from Chase’s eyes and the man adjusted to hold Chase more comfortably at his side, letting go of his hands and using his sleeve to wipe the tears away. “Nah, I guess you wouldn’t, you were too young.”

What was he talking about? Chase remembered to fight and, shaking, tried pushing away again before his hands were grabbed hold of dismissively once more. “Let him go!” Adam roared in the biggest voice he had as two lasers hit the wall, biting out a chunk of concrete.

“Adam, stop! You’re going to hurt Chase!” Bree yelled, grabbing onto Adam, whose eyes were still hot red.

The stranger smirked and stepped closer to Adam, who put Bree behind one of his arms and pushed her back with him. “That’s right, Adam, wouldn’t want to hurt Chase,” the man said in his slimy voice. “Or your dad.”

Chase stopped struggling for a moment, staring at the stranger. “You’re not Mr. Davenport,” he whispered in a scared voice, suddenly worried again for Mr. Davenport’s safety, especially now that this man had showed up in the lab. No one knew about them down here except Mr. Davenport… so how did he get here?

“Oh, but I am, Chase,” the stranger said, his voice causing a sinking in Chase’s stomach. “Not your Mr. Davenport, but I will be now. I’m your real dad, kids.” He knelt to put Chase back down and in the same moment Bree sped over to snatch him away, taking him back with her behind Adam, but he stepped out again.

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?” Chase questioned, ignoring Adam’s arm held out in front of him to create a barrier between his brother and the stranger.

The man sighed, “I’m his brother, Douglas, okay? He took you three from me years ago. I’m your real dad,” he repeated, but it didn’t sound any more right a third time. “I made you.”

The three bionic kids were quiet for a moment, and Chase could tell his siblings were glancing at him as he stared at the stranger, unsure of what to say. But Adam and Bree were relying on him. They were relying on their five-year-old brother’s ultra-advanced brain to save them.

“Where’s Mr. Davenport?” Chase finally asked, trying to keep his voice steady, but he knew it was small and quiet.

The stranger—Douglas—visibly disguised a smirk as he dropped his head, seemingly in remorse. “Sorry, kids,” he sighed, lifting his head back up. “Don had… an accident.”

Chase placed his hands on Adam’s arm, feeling him tense up and stiffen, and a small sound came from Bree next to him. “What kind of accident?” Chase demanded, his voice wavering in panic.

“Oh, don’t get your bionics up in a bunch,” Douglas groaned, getting to his feet. His eyes wandered the lab as he continued, “He’s alive. But he’s in a coma and that’s why he hasn’t come home.” He started strolling past the three of them casually, as if this were his own home.

Adam frowned at Chase and mouthed the word, “Coma?” but Chase waved his hand at him as if to say he’d explain later. If Mr. Davenport had been in a coma all this time, it explained his absence, and although Chase was glad to know he was alive, it didn’t put his concerned much to rest. He’d done enough reading and watching television to know that a lot of people die in comas. But he wasn’t about to say that to Adam and Bree.

Douglas turned again to face the kids with all the comfortableness of someone who knew he held all the cards. “So without Donnie around, someone’s gotta take care of you kids,” he said with a grin that didn’t express too much disappointment.

Adam’s arms came down slowly as he seemed to realize there wasn’t any fighting this situation. He and Bree both looked to Chase, hoping he had anything to say, but he lowered his eyes to the floor. No one knew they existed but Mr. Davenport and his supposed brother. The food was going to run out. Eddy was no help.

They were out of options. 

... 

Chase adjusted the arm of the magnifying glass clamped on to his work station as his shaking hand turned a screwdriver. Laid out in front of him was a very large machine, a sort of blaster gun, which could cause a massive amount of damage, especially in the wrong hands. Unfortunately, even as he worked on it, Chase knew those hands would be his own. 

He bit his lower lip as he focused, squinting through the glass and switching out his screwdriver for a set of pliers, which he used to adjust a tiny wire, very carefully, aiming to slide it into a just-as-tiny port inside a panel. Suddenly, the pliers slipped right out of his sweating palm, yanking the wire right out of the panel with it. 

Chase cursed, slamming his fist on the metal table, then flinched at the pain. He grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut and clutching his fist against his chest, trying to will the pain away. That was stupid... 

"Alright, enough," came a voice, and Chase opened his eyes to see Bree appear in front of him, removing the blaster from the table. He was about to stop her, but two arms hooked under his armpits and lifted him right up and out of his chair. There wasn't a point in struggling, so Chase just hung there, hauled up by Adam with his feet dangling a foot off the ground. 

He was toted away from the work space and over to a stout, worn-out couch Douglas had placed in the lab. Adam dropped Chase in front of it, only having to give him a gentle shove to make him sit. 

Bree sped to Adam's side, her arms crossed. "You've been working on that thing for fourteen hours," she said, sounding accusatory. "You need to take a break."

Honestly, she probably wasn't exaggerating. Chase didn't know the time, though, and couldn't prove her statement either way. He'd systematically disabled any time-telling device in the lab over the last ten years. He didn't want to see nor hear the passage of time, didn't want to know how long Mr. Davenport had been gone, how long they'd been trapped like this, living like slaves, tools to Douglas’ will. The only time pieces that survived were Bree and Adam's personal watches. Chase wanted them gone, but he couldn't justify destroying the things that belonged to his siblings personally. 

Chase sighed, pushing his hands through his unclean hair. "If I don't finish that thing soon, Douglas is going to be furious," he argued, gesturing at the work table, but Bree had apparently moved the blaster gun, probably to hide it from Chase. “His investors are waiting…” Chase not finishing the weapon (and probably using it soon after) meant that Douglas didn’t get paid.

Adam shook his head, crossing his arms to look like Bree. "Uh uh. You're gonna pass out and then you'll be all kinds of useless, that's just gonna make him even madder," he argued. 

"Angrier," Chase corrected. 

"That, too." Adam dismissed Chase's correction waving his hand and came to sit with him on the ratty couch. "I don't want you working yourself to death for him like that. You're always working on his inventions and you know he takes all the credit." And then makes us use them to hurt people... Chase added internally. At least when it came to the weapons, he did. Everything else Chase worked on was just added to Douglas' long list of accomplishments since taking over Davenport Industries ten years ago. 

"Look, if I don't finish this, he's going to take it out on one of you, and I won't let him," Chase said, trying to rise to his feet, but Adam grabbed the back of his sweatshirt, pulling him back down easily just as Bree planted herself right in front of him to block his path. 

Chase sighed, dropping his face down into his hands. Douglas had proven time and again that he knew how to get Chase to do what he wanted, to get any of them to. In the past, he'd locked any and all of them out of their capsules, forcing them to go days without their bionic chips recharging and allowing them to glitch. The last time, Adam had lost control of his laser vision and had to keep his eyes shut and let them burn inside his skull. It had killed Chase to watch him suffer, holding his eyes in pain, crumpled in Bree's lap while Chase rushed to finish a dangerous computer virus for Douglas to unleash on government files. Another time he’d used the Triton App to control Chase himself, and had threatened worse if Bree and Adam didn’t follow his orders. The three of them always gave in to Douglas when he pulled stunts like that, so he didn't see a point in challenging him and letting him manipulate Chase that way again. One of these days it would end up being just too much. 

Bree's hand rested on Chase's shoulder and he peeked between his fingers to see her crouched before him. "If you don't rest, it isn't getting done anyway," she explained. "You're going to hurt yourself and make a mistake."

He wanted to tell her she was wrong, but he was too tired. 

If this was just another invention, that would be one thing. But this was a weapon. Something Douglas no doubt was going to make one of them use on their next "mission." Not only had Douglas appointed himself the head of Davenport Industries after Mr. Davenport's accident put him in a coma ten years ago, he'd also decided Adam, Bree, and Chase would start using their bionic abilities for their originally intended purpose: serving his will. The last few years had seen an endless and unstoppable string of untraceable and mysterious robberies and attacks throughout the world, which Douglas’ so-called investors paid him handsomely for. And Chase hated it, hated himself for it. Even when they were children, Mr. Davenport had always told them he'd teach them to use their abilities for good, to help and save people. And they hadn't saved one person yet, but they'd hurt plenty. The worst part of it was that no matter the number of scenarios Chase ran in his head, he had yet to find a way out for the three of them. 

"Don't make me force you into your capsule, you know I'll do it," Adam threatened, his tone all too willing. 

Chase hopped to his feet quickly, holding his hands out to stop Adam from getting too close. He didn't need to be hauled into his capsule. Again. "Okay, okay!" he ceded, sighing in defeat. "I'll rest." 

This seemed to satisfy Bree and Adam as they exchanged a nod. Adam rose and threw an arm around Chase's shoulders, apparently not trusting him to head to his capsule on his own, and instead leading his brother there himself. 

Just as Adam was letting go, stepping into his own capsule and leaving Chase to do the same, a quiet, ringing alarm came from one of the computers. "What is that?" Bree asked, stepping out again to look questioningly at Chase. 

Chase, however, was staring just as curiously at the beeping computer. "I... I don't know," he admitted. 

The three of them waited a moment, then finally Adam threw his head back with a groan, trudging to the computer. "Stop it! I'm tired," he yelled at the screen, raising up a fist, ready to smash. Chase acted quickly, though, racing behind Adam to grab his hand. 

"No! Adam, don't, it could be important. Here, move," Chase instructed, nudging Adam out of the way. 

On the screen in front of him was a small text box Chase didn't remember opening. In it had been typed, 'Is anyone there?' He definitely hadn’t done that.

Chase stared, exchanged a glance with Bree, who had raced to his other side, taking the initiative by typing, 'Yes.'

This was crazy. The computer probably had a virus. Though how a computer in the lab had gotten a virus on Chase's watch was beyond him. 

More text scrolled onto screen. This time Chase's skin crawled a little as his name appeared, as a question, 'Chase?' Then suddenly added, 'Bree? Adam?'

Chase wasn't sure what to do. Viruses didn't act this way. In the time he was ringing his hands, trying to decide what to do, Bree reached in front of him, typing faster than the computer could register, 'Who is this?'

"I don't understand what's going on," Adam admitted suddenly and loudly. "Why are we talking to a computer?"

Chase shushed his brother, then said, "I'm not sure we are."

Just as the words left his mouth, another response on their screen answered their question and Bree gasped. 'It's Mr. Davenport.’


End file.
